Prefabricated metal house construction



Oct. 23, 1945. c. AUTEN 2,387,229 PREFABRICATED METAL HOUSE CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 2, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet l I IL...

INVENTOR.

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Oct. 23, 1945.

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c. '1. AUTEN PREFABRICATED METAL HOUS E CONSTRUCTION 4 Sheets-Sheet a Filed Feb. 2, 1944 Oct. 23, 1945. Q AUTEN 2,387,229

- PREFABRICATED METAL HOUSE CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 2, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 I INVEN TOR:

Patented Oct. 23;, 1945 PREFABRICATED METAL HOUSE CONSTRUCTION Claude I. Auten, Birmingham, Ala., assignor to Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company, Birmingham, Ala., a corporation of Alabama Application February 2, 1944, Serial No. 520,810

4 Claims. (Cl. 189-34) The present application is a continuation-inpart of my application Serial No. 485,486, filed May 3, 1943, and entitled Prefabricated metal house construction.

This invention relates to the substructure of a building of non-combustible construction of the type. fully disclosed in my parent application. Primarily the invention contemplates non-combustible metal building units that are easily manufactured from commercially available metal mill products by normally equipped sheet metal shops, and more particularly metal building units that are especially adaptable to transport in a small cubic space without distortion and damage.

For a complete disclosure of the herein claimed subject matter, reference should be made to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings which illustrate a practical embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is aside elevation of a building embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is an end elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is a plan view illustrating the foundation post layout for the building of Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 4 is a floor plan of the building of Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 5 is a vertical section on an enlarged scale, taken on line V-V of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is an enlarged section taken on line VI-VI of Figure 4.

Figure '7 is a horizontal section on line VII-VII of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is an enlarged vertical section on line VIII--VIII of Figure 4.

Figure 9 is a similar vertical section on line 1 IXIX of Figure 4.

'FigurelO is a vertical section on an enlarged scale, taken on line X-X of Figure'l.

While not limited thereto, the prefabricated house construction embodying the present invention is peculiarly well suited for erection and use by Army and Navy personnel, and the chief components of the structure are shop-formed of lightgauge sheet steel and are of a size, pattern and weight to simplify and speed up erection, yet permit dismantling for transfer to another site.

v The herein claimed invention relates to a metal substructure mounted on steel posts -or other suitable foundation members such as shown in Figures l to 6 inclusive.

Referring particularly to the drawings, the building may be supported on anysuitablefoundation. By way of example I have illustrated a multiplicity of steel foundation posts IE1 formed of angles arranged back to back and having feet Ill secured to their lower extremities. In the corners of the building, reinforced corner posts I2 are provided which are made by connecting to gether a plurality of angles to form a cross as viewed in plan. The several angles constituting the corner postsare secured to one another by suitable bolts penetrating the angle flanges. EX- tending longitudinally at each side of the building is a Z-shaped sill I4, the horizontal top flange of which overlaps the adjacent outer row of the posts. It; are provided at each. end of the building, and the top flanges thereof also overlap the end posts in a similar manner.

A series of transversely extending floor joists I8 is supported on the lower horizontal flanges of the Z-sills id, as shown in Figure 5. At the points Where the joints take their bearings on the Z-flanges, the posts are provided with bearing brackets such as shown at Ill in Figure 5. The floor joists I8, as shown in Figures 6, '7, and 8, are of built-up construction comprising i a Z-shaped member having top and. bottom integral flanges I8 with upper and lower angle members l and 18 bolted to the webs of the 2 member; thus the composite joist is substantially H-shaped in cross section. I

Secured to the webs of the transverse Z-sills l6 are transverse angle members 20, to form supports for the extremities of longitudinally-extending floor-supporting purlins 22. The intermediate portions of these purlins 22 take their bearings on the several transversely-extending floor. joists l8. The purlins are of substantially channel shape in cross section, as shown in Figure'5,- and are provided with outturned flanges at their lower extremities. Penetrating these flanges are drive screws 24, which secure the purlins to the floor joists l8. These drive screws, as shown in Figure 6, pass through suitable holes in the flanges of the purlins and enter between the top flange [8 of the Z member and angle l8". Thus the screws can be quickly driven into place by a hammer blow, and quickly removed by a screw driver for dismantling. Likewise the ends of the purlins aresecured to the top flange of the angle member 20 by screws 26. The use of drive screws in the environment shown anddescribed greatly simplifies field erection of the flooring, and thus materially reduces cost. The substructure constituting a suitable foundation and the described side and end sills; together with the floor joists and purlins, form a floor-supporting substructure which can be readily and easily assembled. Any suitable form of flooring may be supported on this substructure. However, the structure shown and described is peculiarly well suited for supporting a flooring made up of a series of plywood panels such as indicated at 28. The end panels of the series may overlap the Z-sills at the ends and may be secured thereto Similar transverse Z-shaped sill members by drive screws, as indicated at 28. Similarly, the side series of panels may. overlap the top flanges of the Z-sills. I4 and be secured thereto. by drive screws 28*. At intermediate points the floor panels rest on the purlins 22 and are secured thereto by similar drive screws 28 thus the flooring is quickly and easily assembled with its supporting substructure, and as easily dismantledfor reerection when desired.

Short length purlin fillers 22 (Figure 8) of th same cross-sectional contour as the purlins 22 are placed at right angles to the latter in the region where the ends thereof rest on the joists it. The fillers afford cross supports for the ends of the floor panels remote to those ends which rest on the Z-sill, to thus insure flush registry of abutting adjacent fioor panels. The fillers are held in place by drive screws 28* driven through the floor panel ends, as shown in Figure 8.

shown in Figure 9, at the points where the ends of the purlins 22 abut, a splice angle 22 is secured to the joist l8 by three screws I8 the center one of which enters the joint between theweb. of the Z-joist and the angle bar 18* thereof, and the other two screws clear the side edges of said members, thus securing the. purlin's against slipping in their horizontal direction.

Longitudinally-extending side sill angles 30 are secured to the top flanges. of side sills [4, as shown in Figure 5. Similar transverse end sill angles 32, as shown in Figure 6, are secured to the top flanges of transverse end sills It. At their outer extremities the sill angles 30 and 32 are bent downwardly as indicated at 30 and 32 to form awater shed overlapping the horizontal flanges of the Z-members to which the angles are Secured, as shown, thus preventing the inwardseenage of water. The sill angles 30 and 3.2; are. secured to the top. flanges of the Z-sill members 54 and 16 by vertically disposed bolts as shown. and are. alsosecured to themprights i? suitabl bolts.

- The. substructure above. described and claimed herein isadapted. to Support wall. and. roof. structural e em nts of any suitable character, but the d s n. is. perculiarly well suited for use in com iuati wit he wall. and roof construction disol fiod n my above identified parent. applica,-. t on, I have therefore suggested in Figuresuch? llst uotu e comprising aseries of wall supportin upri hts .3}! which may each constie tot pa r of: angles. arranged back to. back. These p iehtssunport wa l p n l fil interposed between each wall anel 40 and the. parallel. pair of adjacent Wall supportingmem, her 34 is she t of. W ll board 46., they outer face of which; may carry. a. layer of heat insulating material 48. Or, desired, the wall board may itself constitute the heat insulation. The wall board may take the formof various types; of fiber board, gypsum board, and insulating materials of varioussuitable types may be; alter natively employed. 1

Although I have shown and described specific details ot a substructure which an actual reduction to practice has demonstrated is highly desirable, itis to be understoodthat. I am not limitedthereto, since various modifications, may be. made by those skilled in the art. within the scope, of the appended claims.

l. Prefabricated house construction comprising a floor supporting'substructure including a assigaoo marginal Z-shaped sheet metal sill having top and bottom horizontal flanges connected by an upright web, a metal floor supporting assemblage resting at its ends directly on the bottom flange of said sill, an angle member secured to the top member of said sill, upright Wall supports secured to the vertical leg of said angle member, and flooring panels resting at their outer ends directly upon the top flange of said sill and in abutting relation to the upright leg of said angle member, said fioor supporting assemblage including joists having pressed metal purlins secured thereto upon which the intermediate portions of the flooring panels directly bear.

2. Prefabricated house construction including upright steel flanged posts, a Z-shaped marginal sill member, floor supporting joists each comprising a Z-shaped member whose Web makes face to face contact with an upright flange of at least one of said posts, said joists each compris-v ing a pair of angles with their horizontal flanges disposed in th respective planes of the top and bottom flanges of said Z-shaped joist member,

. the vertical flanges of the joist. angles for the greater part of their length being secured in face to face contact with the upright web of said Z-shaped joist member, the end portions of the vertical flanges of said joist angles beingv offset. horizontally to overlap, the face of the-upright flange of a post opposite to that face thereof whichv abuts the web of said Z-shaped joist member, purlins whose intermediate portions bear directly on said joists, and whose end portions bear directly on a member secured to the web of said marginal sill member, and floor panels whose outer ends rest directly on, the top flange of said marginal sill member and whose intermediate portions bear directly on top of said purlins.

3. Prefabricated house construction compris-- ing a: marginal Z-shaped sill having top and-bottom horizontal flanges connected integrally to an upright web, an angle member secured to said web in a plane intermediatethe top and bottom: flanges, thereof, floor supporting joists consisting of a Z-shaped member withtop and, bottom angles flushwith the top and bottom flanges of said Z-shaped joist member, the top flanges of the joist lying in the same plane as the; top face of the angle member, the bottom flanges of the joist member resting at their ends on the a bottom flange of said Z-shaped marginal sill, channel-shaped metal purlins having out-turned base flanges secured at their ends to the angle member carried by the web of the marginal sill and having their intermediate portions secured to and bearing on the. top flanges of said joists. plywood floor-panels whose ends overlap the top flange of said marginal. Z-shaped sill member and whose intermediate portionsbear directly on the tops of said purlins, filler purlins disposed at right angles to the first named, purlins and substantially filling the spaces between them, the tops of the filler purlins forming supportsfor the. inner ends of said plywood panels.

4. The structure defined in claim 3 further characterized in that certain of the first named purlins are held; in longitudinal. alignment with one another by splice. members secured thereto and also to said. joists.

CLAUDE I. AUTEN.. 

